Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Shells and Jets of Galaxy Centaurus A

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 11, 2024 is “The Shells and Jets of Galaxy Centaurus A,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: Rolf Olsen. The original explanation runs about 137 words.

A galaxy is seen in the center of the image. Faint shells are seen around it. A red-colored jet is seen emanating from the galaxy toward the lower right. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.
Credit: Image Credit: Rolf Olsen Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“What’s the closest active galaxy to planet Earth? That would be Centaurus A , cataloged as NGC 5128, which is only 12 million light-year s distant.”

— APOD editors, December 11, 2024

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 11, 2024
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: Rolf Olsen
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 137 words

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Topics in this entry

Galaxies

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 11 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.